The Sense of Place
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The High Line

6/30/2010

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The next time you find yourself in NYC you have to walk the High Line. It is a beautiful walkway and garden that currently runs from Gansevoort St. @ Washington Street to West 20th Street between 10th and 11th. Only this section is completed at this time but eventually it will run all the way up to the West Side Rail Yards at 34th Street.
It is elevated 2-3 stories above the ground and has some great views of the city, beautiful native perennial gardens, and places for stopping to enjoy the scenery. Parts of it even run through buildings.
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I love how they left some of the old rail lines intact.
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The view from a seating area over 10th Ave.
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Walking through buildings.
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Beautiful old Windows
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Seating and lounging areas.
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NYC with kids!

6/28/2010

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My children were such troopers this past Monday and Tuesday. They were up at 5am for the 6:30 train (thank goodness for the ipad, they watched a lot of super why on the way down). They walked four miles around the city on Monday and they finally got to bed around 9:30pm. I was a little worried about not having a stroller, but they were great, they walked or ran without complaint. My amazing friend Jaime helped wrangle the troops and was kind enough to be awoken at 6:15 by two little monsters!
Monday we managed to see the dinosaurs, the ocean creatures, and the planetarium show at the Museum of Natural History. We had lunch at the Shake Shack. I tried to get them to take a nap, it didn't happen so we played in Central Park, met Chesley and her beautiful baby girl, and had a dinner of pizza and salad at casa Chesley.
Tuesday we walked from the upper west side through the park to the central park zoo,
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M and T had a wonderful time climbing all the big rocks in the park.  ​
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We watched the sea lions get fed, the polar bear do laps, and the snow leopard take a nap. Then we walked over to Alice's Tea Cup, where some fairy dust and food revived the troops.
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NYC here we come!

6/21/2010

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This morning I am on a train with my two children to NYC!  We are going down to visit with friends and revisit all our favorite places.  Today and tomorrow, we will visit the Central Park Zoo, the carousel, the Museum of Natural History, and lots of great Central Park Playgrounds.  Grandma and Grandpa are picking up the little cherubs on Tuesday afternoon, and I will spend the rest of the week visiting with friends, relaxing, and catching up on my favorite NYC places. ​
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I cannot wait to visit the new Purl Soho that just opened on Broome St.  I was always a huge fan of purl and Purl patchwork and cannot wait to see the amazing new combined space!
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I also always love to wander through the Cooper-Hewitt, not only do they have fascinating exhibitions, they also have a great shop.
One place I have never been, am dying to go, and could be really really dangerous is Mood!  I still cannot believe that I lived in NYC for over 12 years and never got there.
I need to spend some time wandering through the Met, there is currently a costume exhibit American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity, focusing on clothing from 1890-1940. 
I am so excited to visit the city, explore with my children, visit friends, eat yummy food, and have a great time
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Accessorizing a Home

6/18/2010

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Part of what I love about setting up a house it the hunt to accessorize it with great finds that really mean something or are special.  While at times it can be frustrating because spaces can remain bare for months, I think the final result is so much more personal, and will last the test of time,  when you have a truly unique collection of things that have stories.  I must say I am not against going and getting some basics, display bowls, trays, baskets, and such at the usual places (Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Target, etc.) but I like to personalize it with things I have found along my way in life.
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I found this dish in an antique store in Maine and the colors called out to me.  Its colors are actually the inspiration for accents in my home like the mirror in the front hall.
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This sandstone elephant came from a Cambridge antique mall, T loves elephants and this one has a baby carved inside the mother.  The colors and design are perfect in the dining room.
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The mirror tray came from Target and adds light to the front hall, the three oil lamps were my grandmothers. ​
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The pottery piece is from the Harvard Ceramics Show, the horn is from my favorite store in Concord Center, and the glass dome was my grandmothers. The orchid is real and loves it in there!
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Juicing and Pilates

6/16/2010

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I have been inspired to start taking care of my self again! This has made me re-start my love affair with pilates and a friend has started me on juicing!
The pilates love affair started about 6 years ago, I took lessons all through my pregnancy with M.  I absolutly love the way my body feels after working on the reformer for an hour.  I guess you don't know how much you miss it until you start again!
I also, as I mentioned, started juicing and I love getting all my veggie servings in before noon! This from someone who didn't eat anything green until their first pregnancy!
My favorite recipies are:
kale, mango, apple, raspberries, and blueberries
chard, cucumber, green apple, and pineapple
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Upholstery Update- My latest Project

6/14/2010

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I have been working like crazy on my most recent upholstery project, one of a set of two chairs for the living room.  After four weeks of work in and out of class I have finally finished.  I was really excited about this project because I got to learn how to tie springs (yes I know that weird things make me happy) and discovered that these chairs were manufactured in 1967.  But here is the finished chair next to it's partner, which is still in the original condition. ​
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Cleaning Out!

6/11/2010

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Ok I have been a very bad blogger as of late, and I am really going to try a be better.  I have had very little time for projects as the large part of cleaning out has consumed most of my time.  
My parents recently sold the house that I grew up in, and that they had been living in for 30 something years, and let's just say they have a difficult time parting with things.  This includes all books, dolls, stuffed animals, papers, projects, etc. that I had as a child.  So suddenly, I had a bunch of stuff delivered to my already bursting house!  
As many of you know going through stuff from your childhood and actually getting rid of it is very difficult, enter my amazing husband.  He sat with me and brought me back to the rational realization that I didn't need to keep it all and I didn't need to spend hours going through it!  In one morning we managed to get through most of the stuff and some things from the attic, taking some to goodwill, leaving some children's toys out on the curb for free, and tossing a bunch of junk.  Yes, i still have piles of old photos that I want to scan and toss, and one large box of sentimental things I want to keep, but we have managed to get the everyday visible part of the house cleaned up and usable, as witnessed by my guestroom (aka storage for thing I need to do).
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    About Vallery...

    I live outside of Boston with my husband, two children, and dog. For the past 8 years I have been working with clients to help them make their home dreams a reality. From helping to build homes from the ground up to helping round out already finished spaces, I listen to my clinets and let their vision guide our process. I have always been a creative person planning spaces and working to make them function better. After completing the Residential Interiors program at Boston Architectural College I learned how to combine my love for funcion and flow with my eye for color, scale, and balance. As a graduate of New York University's Stern School of Business, I understand project planning and budget management. My experience working with clients, contractors, and architects helps to coordinate and streamline the home building and renovation process, helping my clients to have the home they dream of with less of the stress that comes with building and decision making.

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